Vegetable oil. That’s what most people cook with today. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other ailments are on the rise. While there are many contributors to the rise of the unhealthy American (sugar chief among them) the switch to vegetable oils rather than traditional lard may be a contributor. Vegetable oil is not something our bodies historically processed. Vegetable Oil has a lower boiling point than Lard, meaning it is cooked into our foods at an increasing rate, full of bad fats, and also harmful to the natural taste of whatever you are cooking.
By contrast, lard has a higher boiling point, which means it stays solid (adding texture), and contributes to the natural flavor by providing a neutral, balancing flavor. At Acorn Bluff Farms, we have switched almost entirely to cooking with Lard (or butter, never margarine), with great results. Our heritage pork should be cooked in a heritage fashion. Just look at the result, cooked with our lard which we are soon selling.
When buying lard, it is important to look for lard that is sold by a USDA-certified company, and is pure. The last thing you want is lard cut with other scraps or materials. Our lard is 100% Mangalitsa and richer and creamier than the lard that you typically would purchase in a grocery store. This largely owes to the pure backfat of our Mangalitsa pigs.
Lard is higher in monounsaturated fats-the good kind. Vegetable oil, on the other hand, is high in polyunsaturated fats which is why they are liquid at room temps and also likely bad for you.
Cold lard is easier to handle than warm lard so we recommend chilling your lard. You can also freeze lard so it can last nearly forever in the freezer. Lard can also be used to make cracklings aka homemade pork rinds.
Lard can be used to make everything from pie crusts to cracklings, but it also works well as an oil to sautee food.
Lard is often unfairly maligned as unhealthy, but that is only because of a propaganda campaign in the early 1900s by Big Vegetable Oil.
We recommend switching to lard for all of your baking and cooking oil needs. It is healthy, delicious, far more stable, and imparts a richer flavor profile- especially from Mangalitsas, the Kobe Beef of Pork.
Please visit our Order Now page to order fresh lard!